Yellowstone Wolf © Jay Goodrich

National Geographic has a really good article online, that will also be included in their March 2010 print issue, regarding the wolf population in the west. It’s written by By Douglas Chadwick and photographed by a host of photographers. If you have ever traveled to Yellowstone and witnessed the spectacle surrounding these amazing creatures this article is a must read. As for my photo, a wolf crossed the road right in front of me during one of my many visits to the region, I didn’t even have time to make any adjustments with the camera. Just point and click.

Rattlesnake, Hoffman Ranch, Ben Bolt, TX © Jay Goodrich

I am currently in South Texas competing in the Coastal Bend Wildlife Photo Contest and last night I was rewarded with an image that I feel everyone should see, and consequently I have made it the photo of the month. Most of the images that I have seen of rattlesnakes have depicted them in ways that I do not necessarily agree with. Rattlesnakes are dangerous, but they are an amazing part of nature and I feel that they should be represented no different than that beautiful sunset over the beaches of Hawaii. This image is my first rattlesnake image and I definitely got lucky with the composition. As I saw it moving across the road, I discovered this pattern that was developing in its movement. As it traveled over a section of road that was dry and cracked from the drought that is going on here, I quickly composed and took the shot. I love the results. I took this image with a Canon 1D Mark III camera, Canon 100mm f 2.8 macro lens.